Vegetable lamb pulao

There are a number of recipes for meat pulao and vegetable pulao and I have a few myself

Fenugreek Lamb Pulao
Chicken Pulao
Chinese Okra pulao

All of these are super delicious and the one I made today with meat and lots of vegetables is my new favorite. As usual, the thing which consumes the longest time is preparing the vegetables.

Go ahead enjoy this one pot dinner


Vegetable lamb pulao (Rice cooked with lamb and vegetables and spices)

Lamb and vegetable pulao

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups basmati rice
2. 1 lb lamb cut into bite size pieces
3.  1.2 cup each of yogurt, chopped carrot, peas, chopped potatoes, cauliflower florets, American eggplant peeled and chopped, 1/2 bell pepper of your choice of color, spinach leaves
4. 1 medium small onion sliced
5. 2 tablespoons oil divided
6. 2 cups chicken broth
7. 2 cups water
8. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin
9. 2 cardamom pods
10. 1 bay leaf
11. 2 cloves
12. 1 inch cinnamon bark
13. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger garlic paste
14. Heaped tablespoon each of mint and coriander leaves

In a pressure cooker add 1 tablespoon oil and fry the onions till they become dark brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minuet. Add eggplant and fry for 5 minutes. Beat the yogurt and add it to the cooker. Add all the spices and the lamb and cover and cook for 3-4 whistles.

In the mean time, wash and soak the rice in water. Prepare vegetables.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a wide heavy bottomed pan and add cumin and let it splutter. Add the cardamon, bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon and fry for a minute. Add potatoes and cauliflower and fry for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and fry for 5 more minutes. Add the liquids and bring to a boil. Add the mint and cilantro and rice and the meat from the cooker to the pan. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes or until rice is done. Enjoy with raita

Iranian jeweled rice

In Los Angeles there used to be a Persian restaurant which was my husband's favorite favorite favorite. 

Today for some reason I got thinking about its lentil rice which was my favorite with lamb shanks. 

I cooked similar rice with lots of dry fruits and chicken drumsticks 

Persian jeweled rice ( rice with lots of dry fruits)

Ingredients 

1. 6-8 chicken drumsticks 

2. 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and canola oil

3. 1 medium large red onion chopped fine

4. 1 teaspoon grated garlic

5. 1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste, saffron 

6. 1 tablespoon each of chopped walnuts, dates, cranberries, raisins, almond, chopped mint

7. 1 large carrot cut into match sticks

8. 1 lemon squeezed for juice

9. 1/2 cup lentils

10. 2 1/2 cup basmati rice

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions on low flame for 10 minutes. Add ginger and ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add drumsticks and fry for 10 minutes. Add 1 cup hot rice and cover and cook for 30 minutes

Add 1 cup hot water to lentils

After do minutes take the chicken out of the pan and add the rest of the ingredients and cover and cook for 20-30 minutes. Until the rice is cooked. Add the chicken back to the pot and enjoy.

Mediterranean rice with Mediterranean Roasted Potatoes

Yesterday we went to a Mediterranean Restaurant called "Green Olive". The food was ddddddddddeeeeeeeeeeeeeelicious. My husband and his colleagues go there quite often but this was the first time I went there. It was great. So my daughter says "can you make this and pack it as a lunch for school, one time? " And that inspires today's lunch. Mediterranean rice and Mediterranean roasted potatoes. The roasted potatoes were on par with the restaurant ones. I am happy :)

Mediterranean Roasted Potatoes

Mediterranean Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 3 big potatoes, peeled and cut into  1/2-inch half circles
• Olive oil spray
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1  teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup  chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place the potatoes in a single layer in a 13-x-9-inch baking dish spray the olive oil. Add the garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste and toss well to coat with the oil.

Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes. Add the stock, stirred with lemon juice and  toss and bake for 10 minutes more.stir and bake 10 more minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. If you like, preheat the broiler and broil the potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve hot as a side dish

Mediterranean Rice Pilaf

Mediterranean Rice

Ingredients:

1. 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
2. 1/2 cup chopped onions
3. 2 big or 3 small garlic minced
4. 1 cup rice
5. 1 low sodium chicken bullion
6. 1 teaspoon lemon rind
7. 1/4 cup chopped parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
8. salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil & saute onion & garlic until tender, stir in rice. Add boiling water until pan is 3/4 full. Bring to boil, stirring.
Stir in stock & rapid boil for 10-12 mins or until tender, drain well.Return to pan adding lemon rind, parsley & pepper, toss well to combine. Serve hot

Maharastrian shrimp curry

So after a long gap I am back on the blogspot and today I made a yummy shrimp curry from the central part of India, specifically from Maharastra. Maharastra has a coast line on the west bordered by the Arabian Sea. This is a curry with a coconut and tomato based spicy gravy. I made Maharastrian rice to serve my curry with Maharastrian rice with my own twist on it
The actual curry is from the IndiaWest website

Maharastrian shrimp curry( shrimp in a tomato and coconut gravy)
Ingredients

1 pound shrimp/ prawns peeled

1 large onion chopped

2 medium tomatoes chopped

1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon tamarind paste

salt to taste

chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

half cup coconut milk

Combine the shrimp, ginger-garlic paste, red chillie powder, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, salt and allow it to marinate for 20 - 30 minutes. In a shallow bottom non - stick pan, heat oil. Once hot, add two crushed garlic cloves. Wait for a minute until it becomes fragrant. Next, add the onions and saute until the onions becomes transluscent. Add the tomatoes, stir for approximately 5 minutes. At this point add the marinated prawns and stir until they lose the grey color and turn pink. Add 1 cup water and let the curry come to boil. Then, add half cup coconut milk and the chopped coriander leaves. Taste and add salt if necessary. Cook further for a couple of minutes. Serve hot with Maharastrian Rice

Maharastrian Style Rice (Rice cooked with Potato and eggplants)

Maharastrian Potato Eggplant rice

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups basmati rice washed 
2. 2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed small
3. 3 medium small Indian eggplants washed and cubed
4. 1/2 cup onions chopped
5. 1 serrano chilli chopped
6. 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
7. 1 tablespoon oil
8. 3/4 teaspoon salt
9. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till they start changing colors. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds. Add the chillies, potato and eggplant and fry for 5-7 minutes. Add salt and turmeric and mix well. Add 4 cups water and bring it to boil. Add rice and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is done. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy hot hot